Hinged modular playground block system

ABSTRACT

A modular playground block system including a plurality of hollow block modules, each of which is hingedly connected to one other module, some of the hinges being vertically oriented and others horizontally disposed. Through passageways or ports connect from adjacent modules and at least two of the modules together forming an inclined plane for sliding and climbing.

United States Patent [52] US. Cl 272/60, 272/56.5; 35/72; 46/25 [51]Int. Cl A63b 17/00;v

A63h 33/04 [50] Field ofSearch 272/56.5, 60; 46/1, 16, 24, 25; 35/72;34/6.4(All) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,202,956 6/1940Lee 46/24X 2,956,806 10/1960 Routson. 272/60 2,977,688 4/1961 Redey35/72X 2,992,829 7/1961 Hopkins 35/72X lnventor William C. Schillig 2801N. Dinwiddie St., Arlington, Va. 22207 Appl. No. 807,789

Filed Mar. 17, 1969 Patented Feb. 9, 1971 HINGED MODULAR PLAYGROUNDBLOCK SYSTEM 6 Claims, 11 Drawin g Figs.

3,201,894 8/1965 Resch..... 46/1 3,472,509 10/1969 Flynn 272/603,485,494 12/1969 Lieberman 272/60 3,496,670 2/1970 Sloop et al. 46/25FOREIGN PATENTS 1.3 16,018 1/1962 France 35/72 619,929 3/1949 GreatBritain .7 272/60 OTHER REFERENCES The American Weekly; Sept. 6, 1959;page 9; copy in 273/60; Unit 334.

House Beautiful; Sept. 1959; page 202; copy in 272/60; Unit 334.

Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Richard J. ApleyAttorney-Dennison, Dennison, Townshenddt Mes a e ABSTRACT: A modularplayground block system including a plurality of hollow block modules,each of which is hingedly connected to one other module, some of thehinges being vertically oriented and others horizontally disposed.Through passageways or ports connect from adjacent modules and at leasttwo of the modules together forming an inclined plane for sliding andclimbing,

PATENTEU FEB 9 nan SHEET 1 UF INVENTOR WILLIAM C. SCHILLIG ATTORNEYSPATENIEU m 919?:

SHEET 3 OF 3 FIG. 9

3 I H T U L INVEN'IOR WILLIAM C. SCHILLIG ATTORNEYS HINGED MODULARPLAYGROUND BLOCK SYSTEM This invention relates primarily to new anduseful improvements in play and exercise apparatus for children and inparticular to a module or block system comprising interconnected unitsadapted to be placed in a variety of positions and combinations suitablefor playground use.

Children, even from the very young age of or 6 months, have strongdesires to climb, crawl, slide and jump and perform other exercisescapable of developing their muscles and joints. Psychologists furtherhave found that many children desire to crawl into and play withinconfined spaces. The children gradually progress to higher levels ofclimbing ability and as the advance in age, become more adventuresomeand are willing to slide down and jump from higher and steeper surfaces.It has been found that such play serves to develop the muscular abilityand also to develop coordination between the various parts of the bodyand additionally to provide long hours of recreation.

With conventional playground equipment, children frequently tire of thevarious combinations of tricks and stunts that can be performed on agiven piece of equipment. Unless a playground is exceptionally wellequipped, the child frequently loses interest in such exercise.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide playand exercise equipment for children which can be moved and modified intovarious configurations.

Another object is to satisfy a childs basic desire to enter and leaveconfined spaces and to jump, slide, and perform other feats in order todevelop the muscles.

A further object of the invention is to provide module playgroundequipment comprising a plurality of interconnected play structures thatmay be arranged into a small compact unit which may be stored in arelatively small area.

A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a pluralityof hollow modular play blocks having egress openings therein which canbe combined with other similar units to provide an endless passagewayfor crawling and exploration by children.

It is another object of the invention to provide play and exerciseequipment adaptable for use either indoors or outdoors which includes aplurality of units that can be used with respect to each other toprovide a fairly low level arrangement or a higher elevatedconfiguration for use by children of various ages and sizes.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a modularplayground system including a plurality of individual modules adapted inone position of use to form generally rectangular or cubic units, butwhich may be rearranged to form various concave and convex surfaces forsliding purposes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a playground block systemwherein each individual block has color-coded indicia thereon toindicate to the user various modes of positioning of the blocks withrespect to each other to form play units.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a playground blocksystem which is of sturdy construction, has a relatively small number ofparts, is economical to manufacture and use, and is safe in use andrelatively compact for storage.

For still further objects and for a better understanding of theinvention, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the following drawings which illustrate thebest mode now contemplated in carrying out the invention and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the playground block system in its basicunextended form;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the system showing a portion thereofswung into the extended position as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing further manipulation of theelements in the manner shown by the three arrows in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective showing further progression of the units pivotedin the manner designated by the solid arrows in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is yet a further perspective showing additional progressions ofmovement following the arrows of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 yet is another perspective showing continuation of movement ofthe modular sections following the movement of the arrows in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective ofa preferred form ofhingeconstruction;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective showing a modified formofhinge arrangement;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation taken from the front of FIG. 2 and showingcolored indicia portions for guidance;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective showing the use of the coloredindicia for assembly; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation also showing the use of thecolor indicia for assembly.

Reference is now made specifically to the drawings wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several viewsand wherein a typical installation of the assembly of this invention isshown in FIG. 1.

The playground assembly consists of a plurality of individual blockmodules of the various shapes designated ll, l2, 13, 14,15, l6, l7 and18. As can be seen in FIG. I, the individual modules are pivotallyconnected together in such a manner that the individual modules can bearranged into a very compact cubic configuration forming in essence alarge block. By way of example, modules 11 and 12 are of similarexternal configuration and may be nearly cubical in shape. It has beenfound that a particularly satisfactory size for most purposes is 30inches wide, 30 inches high, and 30 inches in depth. Similar blocks 13and 18 are also provided, all preferably of the same general externalsize.

Each block is preferably hollow in the interior and provided with atleast one egress opening as shown at 23 in FIG. 3. By providing two ormore openings in each block of convenient size, through passageways arethereby provided to adjacent modules to enable the child to climb in andout of connecting units. It has been found that a passageway having aminimum width of 13 inches is preferable, and with a height of 21 inchesor 24 inches. In the preferred form of the invention shown in thedrawing, openings 23 are provided with rounded corners to preventsnagging of the clothing and other injury.

Block modules 14 and 15 are in the form of right triangles in verticalcross section as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 11. These modules are adaptedto be swung about a hinge so that the hypotenuse of each triangle willoverlie the other in the closed storage position providing in effect arectangular solid construction seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. It should be notedfrom FIGS. 3 and 11 that the blocks 14 and 15 are hinged along one edgeso that block 15 may be swung upwardly to assume the position shown inFIG. 3 whereby the hypotenuse faces provide a continuous slantingsurface and serve as a sliding board or ramp. See FIG. 3.

Another variety of sliding or climbing surface is provided by the blockmodules 16 and 17. When these modules are swung to the closed positionshown in FIG. 2, the same provide an upright rectangular solid. However,when the upper module 16 is pivoted on the hinge H in the manner shownin FIGS. 2 and 3, a concave-convex surface is provided which can be usedeither for sliding or climbing. In the module 17, an opening is providedhaving a curved edge for the sake of variety.

Each of the block modules 1ll8 is hingedly connected to one adjacentmodule by means of a hinge construction which may take several forms. Inthe preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-6, the hinge is in the form ofa conventional recessed piano hinge shown in detail in FIG. 7. Here thead jacent block modules 16 and 17 each have connected thereto one leafof the hinge arrangement 19 and 20. A hinge pin 2| passes through theinterleaved hinge sections in a manner well known in the art. It will beunderstood that the hinge surface is recessed into the face of the panelso as to provide a flush outer surface which is adaptable for slidingand climbing without snagging on clothing and causing injury.

An alternative form of hinge 22 is shown at FIG. 8 and is known in theart as an integral plastic hinge. This particular hinge is a one pieceplastic strip which may be either extruded or otherwise formed and isflexible and strong and will not crack or break even after thousands ofpivotal movements. Once again, the panel portions of the modules 16 and17 are cut out or recessed and the hinge is applied either byconventional adhesives or the same may be laminated into place so as toprovide an integral appearance.

Each of'the block portions as aforenoted is hollow and may be cast ormolded of any conventional yet sturdy material. It has been found thatfiberglass is an ideal material for this purpose since the same isreadily available, and may be molded and finished into various shapeswith ease and utilizing existing equipment. Of course, if desired, themodules can be formed of sheet metal or other substitutes. It isimportant in most installations that while the modules be strong, theybe light enough to be readily moved into different configurations by asmall child.

In order that a young child may readily move the various block modulesinto preselected positions of use, the sides of the modules may bepainted with a color indicia instructional aid as more clearly shown inFIGS. 9-11. FIG. 9 shows the module arrangement of FIG. 2 with variouscolor coded indicia applied thereto that serves both a decorativefunction and also provides continuous colored portions on adjacentpanels which when placed in juxtaposition create a continuous pattern.Movement of any one of the modules out of the preselected position willbe readily apparent as the design will not be continuous and the userwill then know that one of the preselected arrangements is not in exactalignment.

Referring to FIG. 10, block modules 24, 25, 26 and 27 are depicted. Eachside of the block modules is provided with a colored indicia asindicated for example at 28 and 30 on module 25 and at 29 and 31 onmodule 26. When the modules 25 and 26 are pivoted with respect to eachother, the colored portions 30 and 31 will abut and present a continuouspattern and further the colored portion 28 will align with the coloredportion 29 on the module 26 to provide a continuous line indicia showingthat the blocks are in proper relationship.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to thedrawings, it is to be understood that various modifications andsubstitutions of equivalents will present themselves to one skilled inthe art bearing the above noted objects of invention in mind.

Iclaim:

l. A modular playground block system comprising at least three hollowblock modules, at least two of said modules having means to permitingress and egress of a child and being of sufficient interior size toreceive a child completely within the confines thereof, means hingedlyconnecting each module to a single other module, at least one of saidhinge means being horizontally disposed and at least one of said hingemeans being vertically disposed.

2. A modular playground block system as defined in claim 1, wherein eachof said hollow modules has two egress openings, wherein alignment ofopenings in adjacent block modules provides a connecting passageway.

3. A modular playground block system as defined in claim 1 wherein atleast two of said block modules are rectangular solids.

4. A modular playground block system as defined in claim 1, wherein atleast two of said block modules are right triangular prisms adapted tonormally overlie each other with their longest planar faces in contact.

5. A modular playground block system as defined in claim 1, wherein oneof said block modules has a concave face and another of said modules hasa convex face, said faces being adapted to interfit in one position ofuse.

6. A modular playground block system as defined in claim 1, and furtherincludin color coded indicia on the faces of each block module, saiindicia of ad acent faces on different modules forming a continuousdesign pattern when said modules are moved into a given arrangement.

1. A modular playground block system comprising at least three hollowblock modules, at least two of said modules having means to permitingress and egress of a child and being of sufficient interior size toreceive a child completely within the confines thereof, means hingedlyconnecting each module to a single other module, at least one of saidhinge means being horizontally disposed and at least one of said hingemeans being vertically disposed.
 2. A modular playground block system asdefined in claim 1, wherein each of said hollow modules has two egressopenings, wherein alignment of openings in adjacent block modulesprovides a connecting passageway.
 3. A modular playground block systemas defined in claim 1 wherein at least two of said block modules arerectangular solids.
 4. A modular playground block system as defined inclaim 1, wherein at least two of said block modules are right triangularprisms adapted to normally overlie each other with their longest planarfaces in contact.
 5. A modular playground block system as defined inclaim 1, wherein one of said block modules has a concave face andanother of said modules has a convex face, said faces being adapted tointerfit in one position of use.
 6. A modular playground block system asdefined in claim 1, and further including color coded indicia on thefaces of each block module, said indicia of adjacent faces on differentmodules forming a continuous design pattern when said modules are movedinto a given arrangement.